Culture: Global Exchange

文化—邮政联系

The Chinese Pavilion at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair was modeled after Prince Pu Lun’s summer residence.Courtesy Library of Congress

The Chinese Pavilion at the 1904 St. LouisWorld’s Fair was modeled after Prince Pu Lun’ssummer residence.Courtesy Library of Congress

Stamps and mail show many examples of the cultural exchange between China and the U.S. in science, literature, politics, religion, and other fields. Before 1949, American missionaries in China often shared their experiences in letters.

Much later, hundreds of millions of copies of The Quotations of Chairman Mao circulated inside China and, in translation, around the world and the U.S. At different times, both countries also made personal connections and shared ideas through international sports and global cultural events like world's fairs.

Many American missionaries in China learned local languages and dialects, living there for most of their lives. Missionaries often established and worked in schools, universities, hospitals, and orphanages, helping to bridge languages and cultures. Anti-foreign campaigns in the early 1950s ended the missionary era.

The Nobel Prize winning American novelist Pearl Buck (1892–1973) grew up in China as the daughter of American missionaries. She wrote about Chinese rural life in books that included The Good Earth (1931). Artist Paul Calle sketched her portrait for the USPS Great Americans stamp series.

8f Mao “Sun of the Revolution” with people holding up the Little Red Book, China, 1967

8f Mao “Sun of the Revolution” with peopleholding up the Little Red Book, China, 1967

8f Mao and people of the world with the Little Red Book, China, 1967

8f Mao and people of the world withthe Little Red Book, China, 1967

During the Cultural Revolution, Chinese citizens studied Mao's "Little Red Book" and translated editions appeared worldwide. In the U.S., college students and members of groups such as the Black Panthers and Students for a Democratic Society received and distributed copies at the height of turmoil over the Vietnam War and civil rights.

Beijing to Students for a Democratic Society with stamps of Mao and Mao quotation on cover, China, 1967

Beijing to Students for a Democratic Society with stamps ofMao and Mao quotation on cover, China, 1967

Beijing to Students for a Democratic Society with stamps of Mao and Mao poem on cover, China, 1968

Beijing to Students for a Democratic Society with stamps ofMao and Mao poem on cover, China, 1968

Albert Einstein first day cover, China, 1979

Albert Einstein first day cover, China, 1979

Chinese students studying in the U.S. increased appreciation within China for physicist Albert Einstein (1879–1955) and his theory of relativity. China issued this stamp on Einstein’s birthday, March 14—also called Pi Day, since 3/14 includes the first digits of the value of pi.

8f American journalist Agnes Smedley single, China, 1985

8f American journalist Agnes Smedleysingle, China, 1985

20f American journalist Anna Louise Strong single, China, 1985

20f American journalist Anna Louise Strongsingle, China, 1985

80f American journalist Edgar Snow cover, China, 1985

80f American journalist Edgar Snow cover, China, 1985

These stamps depict earlier American journalists known for their sympathetic, on-site coverage of Communists in China: Edgar Snow (1905–1972), author of Red Star over China (1938); Agnes Smedley (1892–1950), who lived and reported in China in the 1930s; and Anna Louise Strong (1885–1970), who spent her final years there as well.

Between 1851 and 1914, China took part in 30 world’s fairs, exchanging ideas on culture, technology, and trade. Sir Robert Hart, head of Chinese customs and the postal system, chose the exhibits. Prince Pu Lun attended the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, where China first officially participated.

Workers in Beijing created a replica Chinese temple for display at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair. Explorer Sven Hedin studied the original temple just before the Japanese occupied the region.

San Francisco World's Fair macerated stamp card, 1900s–1940s

San Francisco World's Fair macerated
stamp card, 1900s–1940s

San Francisco World's Fair macerated stamp card, 1900s–1940s

San Francisco World's Fair macerated stamp card, 1900s–1940s

At the 1939–40 San Francisco World's Fair, postcards portrayed an idyllic China through cut-up postage stamps. China, already in a years-long war with Japan, did not participate in the fair.

Knoxville World's Fair China pavilion postcard, 1982

Knoxville World's Fair China pavilion postcard, 1982

China exhibited bricks from the Great Wall and ancient terracotta warriors at the Knoxville International Energy Exposition in 1982.

A century after China’s first world’s fair in 1910, Shanghai Expo 2010 set size and attendance records. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited the Expo and USA pavilion that May.

Shanghai Expo with Hillary Clinton signature on postal card, 2010

Shanghai Expo with Hillary Clinton signature on postal card, 2010

Shanghai Expo USA Pavilion postal card ticket, 2010

Shanghai Expo USA Pavilion postal card ticket, 2010

Shanghai Expo USA Pavilion postal card ticket, 2010, reverse

Shanghai Expo USA Pavilion postal card ticket, 2010, reverse

Competition in a range of sports strengthened modern Chinese-American relations, starting with table tennis and "ping-pong diplomacy" around the time of President Nixon's visit in 1972.

Table Tennis first day cover, China, 1959

Table Tennis first day cover, China, 1959

Cycling first day cover, 1996

Cycling first day cover, 1996

Chinese athletes made history at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics when pistol shooter Xu Haifeng won China’s first gold medal. Chinese gymnast Li Ning won an extraordinary six medals, including three gold medals, in the same Olympics. Both athletes participated in the 2008 torch ceremony in Beijing.